This application relates generally to a disposable medical-examination light. More specifically, this application relates to a disposable vaginal speculum light.
In order to non-surgically examine and treat an interior body cavity it is often necessary to use an instrument that dilates the cavity. Often specula of different varieties are used for this purpose. However, once an interior cavity has been dilated with a speculum, it may be necessary to light or illuminate the cavity before the cavity can be properly examined, treated, tested, diagnosed, etc.
There are many instruments and methods that can be used to provide light to a dilated interior cavity. For instance, light may be provided to a cavity by a gooseneck lamp; a handheld light; a standing lamp; an exterior light source used with a reflector placed on the head of a user (e.g., an examiner) or in some other location; a light source incorporated with, or connected to, the speculum; and so forth.
However, such instruments may have several shortcomings. For instance, some instruments used to light interior cavities may be handheld and thereby may limit the use or otherwise occupy one of the hands of the user. Similarly, the size and shape of some conventional lighting instruments may cause the instruments to be cumbersome and awkward to use. Some lighting instruments may significantly obstruct the user's visual/working field. Conversely, in some cases, the user may unintentionally block the light from a lighting instrument with medical instruments, the user's body parts, or with some other object. Moreover, in another example of potential shortcomings in current medical-examination lights, some lighting instruments, such as incandescent lamps, may become hot and, therefore, may not be placed close to the interior cavity without burning or uncomfortably heating the area being examined. Additionally, some lights may produce a dull yellow or a low intensity light that may strain the user's eyes or may distort the colors of the internal cavity, which may prevent true color visualization.
In addition to these shortcomings, many conventional lighting instruments used to provide light to interior cavities may also face the challenge of being sterile or at least being sanitary enough to be used multiple times on different people. For instance, some methods for cleaning or sterilizing lighting instruments may result in instrument or battery damage. However, other methods for keeping lighting instruments sanitary enough that the instruments may be used to light internal cavities from multiple people may involve covering the lighting instrument with a transparent plastic covering or bag. Nevertheless, transparent coverings may also have their shortcomings. For example, the coverings may make it difficult to handle a lighting instrument, or the coverings may rip or be moved to expose unsanitary portions of the lighting instrument.
Accordingly, it may be an improvement in the art to provide a medical-examination light for illuminating internal cavities, where the light is easy to use, minimally obstructive, and/or provides truer color visualization without uncomfortable amounts of heat. Furthermore, it may be an improvement to provide a medical-examination light that does not require cleaning or transparent coverings because the examination light is disposable after a single use.